Two Words to Change Any Room We’re In

There’s a two-word phrase making the rounds in the media these days. Perhaps you’ve bumped into it, too.

Chilling effect.

• This is intended to have a chilling effect on reporters.
  
• This can’t help but have a chilling effect on higher ed.
  
• You can see the chilling effect it’s having on nonprofits and foundations.

Alas, the melting glaciers and polar ice caps seem to be the only things spared from the chilling effect.

A mentor of mine says to go where there isn’t much traffic. So if the chilling effect lane is bumper to bumper, the warming effect is a wide open stretch of road.

What if we intended to have a warming effect on the rooms we are in?

What if we reported terrific customer service to the manager.

Told a friend the kind thing we heard someone say about them (a buddy did this for me the other day and I was on cloud nine).

Made sure the waiter knew how much we appreciated the extra butter he put on the side of our pumpernickel toast.

Shared around that good news we heard (this has melted my heart twice over).

I was raking (a forever project up here in Maine) and a neighbor called out from the sidewalk to say how much she loved the New England asters in my yard; I could have raked for two more hours I was so touched by that simple kindness.

Both the chilling effect and warming effect have a pay-it-forward effect. We can either pay forward our fear or pay forward our warmth. The choice is all ours.